Trauma surgery

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Trauma surgeons practice the most recent subspecialty of general surgery. Comfortable operating on most body parts and cavities, trauma surgeons carry on the tradition of military surgeons as depicted in the novel M*A*S*H. Trauma surgeons have a high success rate regarding the sickest of patients who have sustained serious injuries. Trauma surgeons have become specialists in Surgical Critical Care, burns, and Emergency Surgery. Trauma surgeons created the new specialty of Acute Care Surgery. Some trauma surgeons have also become involved in research and education through specialty societies such as the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST).

In many hospitals throughout the United States and Britain, trauma surgeons primarily stabilize patients and then transfer the patient to the appropriate department. For instance, a patient presenting to the emergency room with peripheral nervous system trauma would preferably be treated by a neurosurgeon. Likewise, patients with musculoskeletal problems would be treated by an orthopedic surgeon, oral/maxillofacial trauma by a maxillofacial surgeon, and heart trauma by a cardiovascular surgeon. The high stress and workload has meant that this specialty's popularity among medical students has fallen drastically. However, until accidents, violent acts, and emergencies stop happening, there will always be a demand for trauma surgeons to be on hand. Trauma surgeons make life and death choices everyday.

Due to new technologies, specifically new dummies, those training to be trauma surgeons are able to go through many different routines so that they are prepared for any emergency. These new smart dummies have pupils that dilate, have airways that close, and can actually bleed. By practicing multiple situations on the dummies, trauma surgeons have decreased the mortality rate in trauma cases from 50% to 8.5%.

[edit] Further reading

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, a website dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in treating and preventing traumatic injuries.
AO Surgery Reference
trauma.org a website dedicated to trauma